Sir Sadiq Khan was granted powers to intervene in some licensing decisions from today (November 3)
The Mayor of London has denied carrying out a democratic power grab from the capital’s boroughs after his new licensing powers came into effect.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that he wanted to work with Westminster City Council, after being accused of a “land grab” by the local authority’s deputy leader. It comes not long after the Mayor was accused of a power grab over the Oxford Street pedestrianisation, after he set up a Mayoral Development Corporation to take control of the street from the council.
Sir Sadiq Khan was granted powers, which came into force today (Tuesday, November 3), to intervene in some licensing decisions in the capital which are deemed ‘strategically important’ to London.
He will be able to call-in and determine whether to grant these applications. Councils will also have to consult the Mayor when reviewing their local licensing policies.
Westminster City Council has demanded a review of licensing laws because it claims the Mayor could now intervene in venues like fried chicken shops or small restaurants.
Cllr Tim Barnes, Deputy Leader of Westminster City Council and Cabinet Member for Growth and Planning, said: “This is much more like a land grab by the Mayor to try and bring control over more things into his empire rather than a use of all his powers to actually try and solve a problem.”
The cross-party group London Councils, which represents the city’s borough councils, also raised concerns, with Executive Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Regeneration, Croydon Mayor Jason Perry, claiming that the new powers “use a definition of ‘strategic importance’ that is too broad.”
Sir Sadiq was joined by Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, Assembly Member James Small-Edwards and various stakeholders in London’s nightlife industry at an event at Blue Note in the West End on Tuesday.
Speaking at the event held to celebrate the new powers, the Mayor said he wanted to work alongside councils to make the policy work. However he added that if councils were not supporting “well-managed” businesses he would call these applications in.
“My expectations are that good councillors will work with good applicants to give permission. I’m hoping I have to use powers infrequently, but it’s important for those councils who may have concerns to recognise how important the night-time economy is, but also how important nightlife is to our capital city,” he told the LDRS.
“This is a sector that contributes more than £21 billion to our economy. That helps, by the way, pay for the public services that councils are responsible for and employs hundreds of thousands of Londoners, but also one of the reasons why people choose to come to London as a destination is our nightlife, and our hope is the councils would want to support that.”
What are the new powers?
The new powers allow the Mayor to call-in decisions on applications for businesses in fee band D & E, which have a non-domestic rateable value of £87,001 and where the proposed licensable activities take place after 11pm on any day.
High rateable values in Central London and the large number of bars and venues opening late mean four out of five Westminster premises already fall within scope of the new regulations, said Westminster City Council.
In a letter to the Mayor, Council Leader Paul Swaddle said the scale of the powers was “considerable” given Westminster already approves 98 percent of licensing applications.
“The new Mayoral call-in process will not, by itself, address the wider causes of pressure in the evening and night-time economy. Issues such as crime, noise and dispersal are best addressed through local policies and partnership working with the police, transport providers and other local services,” he said.
“The call-in process should therefore form part of a wider programme that includes improving transport, policing and partnership working while allowing experienced local licensing authorities to determine individual applications.
“We would welcome a commitment by the Mayor to enhancing policing and transport provisions across London as they are central to strengthening London’s leisure, hospitality and night-time economy.”
However Kate Nicholls, CEO of UK Hospitality, said that the decisions were “not taking anything away from local authorities”.
“This is just a call in power in the same way that you have with planning. So I don’t think that there’s any reason for Westminster to be fearful.
“What I would say is that boroughs like Westminster and others, that have very restrictive policies, should work with the local businesses that are affected, to make sure that we’ve got the right framework in place.”
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